Peace of Mind for Pet Parents Episode 037: Peace of Mind in a Box: How to Prepare a Comfort Kit for Your Pet

Episode Transcript: 

Karen Wylie: Hello and Thank you for joining us for Peace of Mind for Pet Parents. I'm Karen Wylie here as always with my friend Gail Pope. Today we're going to be talking about something that every pet parent can do no matter what their pet's age or health condition but something that can bring comfort and calm to your house and to yourself. That is creating a comfort kit for your pet at home. This isn't just for pets that are older or ill in any way. It's something that every pet family really should have on hand because there's always that unexpected moment— you could be walking your dog, he or she twists a paw and you're thinking, "What can I do at home? Is it time for me to really go to the vet?"

Your cats might get into a little scuffle and somebody has a little cut on their nose. Ask me how I came up with that example! It's important to have the things on hand that let you address a situation right away. That can make all the difference in terms of how comfortable you feel and how calm you're going to feel about addressing things at home.

Now, Gail, you've often discussed the importance of having a comfort kit at home. I've always noticed that you refer to it as a comfort kit and not an emergency kit. So can you tell us a little bit about why you view that as a comfort kit and not just an emergency kit?

Gail Pope: An interesting question. I think it covers both but I think if you were to call it an emergency kit you know your brain instantly would think, "Ooh, it's an emergency."

And we are not focusing on having an emergency. We are focusing on literally helping our animal before any kind of emergency arrives with whatever they're dealing with in daily life, mobility, or health. Whether they're nearing the end of life dealing with a chronic illness or an acute situation. There can be so many different types of experiences that….I know I've thought in the past, "Oh gosh, if only I had some, whatever it was, then I could put that on this."

You can give people an idea, an overview of the kinds of things they’ll need, which I'm sure we'll do today. But it really needs to be focused on that animal, that situation then you can add in the more acute little pieces in case you may actually need them. I guess they're always good to have on hand too anyway.

Karen Wylie: It always seems to feel that when a situation comes up, the first thing that you think you need is the one thing you ran out of or something like that. We'll provide a little bit of a laundry list. I've got a lot of things written down here. I might start crossing them off to make sure that we've covered them. But I think we've all had those kinds of situations with our pets where our pet's not feeling well and we tend to notice it right before we're going to bed. So then it's "Oh geez, it's nighttime. What do I do about this? How do I handle this?"

So I think, for me, one of the first things that every pet parent needs is to have the information on hand that might be needed. So that's to have all the contact information for their regular vet as well as any and all emergency clinics within an hour or two of them that they might need to access.

Because, as we've mentioned at various times, when you find yourself in these situations, you don't really want to have to scour Google to figure out where to go. It'd be so much easier if you've already identified the clinics that are best for you or easiest, closest for you. 

Then as I was writing that down, I had to identify for myself that it's important to make sure that you are on their email list. So that if they do change their days or hours that you are notified. I would never have thought of that until last year where my favorite emergency room, they're all about an hour away from me, but the one that I can usually get there and get in right away was sold last year to one of the corporations. So there's all sorts of changes. 

Back on July 4th weekend and then again on Labor Day weekend, they couldn't get coverage and so they were closed. I've been going to them for 20 years, so it's the kind of thing that, "Yes, I know I'm all set. I know where I'm going."

And yet if I had headed in that direction and arrived there without checking, I'd be in trouble. But because I was on their mailing list, I was getting updated. So I would now add that as something really important to make sure that you're on those lists so that you're kept updated if there are any schedule changes because that's pretty darned important.

Gail Pope: A really good thought. I do have a little note. I printed out from my computer a list of just exactly as you said, ages and ages ago when we first moved here, and I stuck it on the side of my fridge. So it's there in the kitchen because I'm generally heading to the kitchen if I need to make a phone call or whatever, but it's just always there. So I know where I've got urgent numbers, any important information, I just know to go to my fridge. Whereas if I had a boxed comfort kit or something similar, then it would be another step for me to go find it. So I think that's a good thing to do. It's worked for me.

Karen Wylie: It's figuring out where the most convenient place is for you to keep that list.

Gail Pope: Exactly.

Karen Wylie: Whether it's the back of a kitchen cabinet or somewhere else. Where once you've done the work, "Where do I keep that? Where it's the fastest and easiest to access?"

I think even if that was the only thing a pet owner did in taking a step to create a comfort kit. Assembling this kind of information would have to provide at least some automatic peace of mind. You're one step down the road here and you can take a breath and say, "Okay, I'm ready if something happens."

Let's now just start thinking about what goes into a basic comfort kit. What every pet parent should have— no matter the age of their pet or what's going on with the pet.

Gail Pope: I think probably the most important thing to discuss is pain control. Whether it's an end of life situation or more of a chronic situation, you probably need veterinary advice. So that sits apart. Otherwise, if it is a situation where end of life is approaching then working with your vet or other practitioner to be sure that you have adequate pain meds on hand, should they be needed is important. 

Also a note I think to remind yourself. We all need reminding sometimes! I think that dying itself, the process of dying, we know from the human world isn't painful. However, what we also know is that a chronic illness that may have been treated as painful should be kept on being treated all the way through the end of life situation because that pain is assumed, but dying itself isn't painful. I think pain meds are probably the number one thing to make sure you have something— even a product like Rescue Remedy. "Oh goodness, what do I do? Let's spray some Rescue Remedy around all of us. We'll calm down."

Karen Wylie: If people out there have never tried Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy. It's been around for almost a hundred years now, right? If not even more than that. For those of us who have used it when our animals are stressed out, we have generally seen quite a difference. Not the same as a drug, a sedative but it's simple and easy. It doesn't require a prescription. You can get it online, just about everywhere now.

Let's think about the everyday comfort in care for any pet that pet parents would have on hand. I guess thinking of comfort, we'd want to make sure that we have soft blankets, towels, and anything that would help our pet relax, like maybe a comb or a brush. "That always calms this one." (Callie, the cat, being stroked!)

Gail Pope: When you're talking about bedding, I guess because of the work that I've done, my mind instantly goes to incontinence pads and layering the bedding. If you've got an animal who is in bed and not getting up, then you have to pay special attention to their bedding.

The choice of blankets— I always get a little pile of blankets, plus a pile of disposable incontinence pads. Generally, and depending on the situation, you can get washable ones but that makes for a bigger chore. I put them in a pile of a blanket, then a disposable and just build up the pile and keep it to one side, wherever the animal is. So that when I need to change the bedding, it's right there and I don't have to go to the linen cupboard and go "Okay, I'll have this one and that one."

Just keeping it so that it becomes an easy process, I think is valuable to do.

Karen Wylie: Do you keep a flashlight or even a headlamp available?

Gail Pope: That's a really good thought, maybe. No, it's certainly not in my mind generally. I know what I have learned to do during the night when I'm lying with an animal and it's dark, and I don't want to put the lights on. Generally, if I don't have anything else handy, I resort to my phone because that will give me a good light if I need it.

Karen Wylie: Yes, that'd be perfect.

Gail Pope: I can shine it away from the animal and then gradually bring it back until I can see enough so I don't disturb them.

Karen Wylie: Yes and there's so many different flashlight apps out there that you can have on your phones if you need an extra beam of light. That's very helpful too. 

I think a digital thermometer is a must along with a little lubricant— KY Jelly or anything that would allow insertion of the thermometer would be very kind and you'll find that they're not as reluctant. They'll still struggle for the most part, but who would like that?

Gail Pope: I think some people are really averse to digital thermometers and don't want to do it. They can use an ear thermometer. They actually work quite well and they're quite as reliable as an old fashioned thermometer. They’ve been pretty good for me but if you put them in a cupboard and remember you've got them and then they need a battery changing…..you've got to also remember to make sure that they're in working order.

Karen Wylie: That's a great suggestion. I guess I'm old fashioned in that I thought I was being very contemporary going with the digital thermometer instead of the truly old fashioned kind. 

Knowing what your animal's temperature is so basic because if they're running a fever then that puts you going in a different direction in terms of troubleshooting. Whereas if their body is starting to cool, then you're thinking are they going into shock? So then your problem solving goes in another direction. 

Knowing what the temperature is and how far off normal they are would probably be a great help for you in determining how long you're comfortable staying at home or packing up and heading to the ER. I had tweezers here on my list.

Gail Pope: And scissors.

Karen Wylie: And scissors. There we go. You could be searching for ticks. You could be searching for splinters. You could be...

Gail Pope: Cutting up your incontinence pads. I tend to buy big ones. It seems to be cheaper that way. Then I cut them into pieces depending on the size of the animal and make and use them that way. It tends to save money.

Karen Wylie: Absolutely. That's a great suggestion. A lot of people would not think of that. They'd be thinking, "I can get a smaller size."

It's important to have your pet's records available to grab and go if you need. So any medications that they're on, any allergies that have been identified in the past, you'd want to alert a new vet to that. Certainly if they're being treated for any chronic conditions, that's all information that you'd want to provide and really that's the kind of information you can just tuck into an envelope or something and update it every few months just so you're ready.

Gail Pope: I don't know. For me, I have files for each animal and I have them pretty close at hand because I would probably be on the phone with my vet. So I've got to be able to have it there and ready to read. If somebody's not well then their file would be sitting on my desk.

Karen Wylie: Oh, you remind me of the old days for me when I had so many cats that I had file folders on them. Now I don't do that but if you have a regular vet or as you have your holistic vet, your homeopathic vet is a phone call away which is great. For a lot of us with conventional care and conventional clinics in our area that would be information we'd need to bring along with us.

Gail Pope: Oh, let me go back. You mentioned towels and that just popped into my mind too. Yes, towels for all sorts of reasons, little towels or bigger towels. If you've got a large dog who is weakened, maybe they can still totter along and go out to the bathroom but they're too wobbly, then you can buy some beautiful harness-like lifts for the back end. You can also just use a bath towel— roll it, hold it under them and help support them. So I've always used towels for something like that too.

Karen Wylie: Oh, that's terrific. Where's my pen? I can mark that off my list here because I was thinking we have to think about how mobile the pet is or if their mobility is something that's changing. So I was thinking of slings and and had the towel idea right there because you have to be ready for that. 

What about emotional soothers for our pets? I guess we've already mentioned the rescue remedy which you can take yourself to calm you along with providing it to your pets.

Gail Pope: I don't know. I always have soft music playing anyway during the daytime, and so that springs to mind first because I think having a peaceful atmosphere is one of the first things to ensure for you as well as your animal.

Karen Wylie: I would agree. I remember a friend who traveled a lot, recorded her voice just talking normally to her pets and her spouse. I think it was like 15 or 20 minutes— just two partners having a conversation. The reason she did it was so that her pets would hear her voice.

Gail Pope: How lovely.

Karen Wylie: So I thought that was an interesting thing. I certainly had not thought of that because I'm usually around.  But for those who are not or who travel on their work, that might be something to think about.

Gail Pope: Oh, I think that's a lovely idea.

Karen Wylie: I could see where that would be helpful. Definitely knowing your pet's favorite toys would be another emotional item or comfort item for them. A stuffed animal. Maybe there's a particular chew that they like because keeping them calm and comfortable that's the whole purpose of the comfort kit, isn't it? You were saying earlier something about calming sprays. Is that something you have used in the past?

Gail Pope: Yes, that's Rescue Remedy for me. I use the term Rescue Remedy because yes, that is the name of the product that we’ve known for so many years. But there are many flower essence companies and every single one of them will do the job.

Karen Wylie: A diffuser?

Gail Pope: No, not diffuser but they make their own rescue remedy. They just call it by different names. They're all wonderful. They're all formulated very much like Rescue Remedy and they all do a good job. For me, I like to buy the dropper, the liquid, so that I can rub it on their skin. I can use it in all sorts of different ways. I also like to buy the spray - particularly if I have to put an animal in the car and then I can spray the car. You don't have to spray them and everybody gets the benefit. So I think sprays are good.

When we had lots of animals, I used to actually make the spray. I used to get a spray bottle and make up a mix from the liquid and then put it in a spray bottle and use it around the house.

Karen Wylie: Excellent. Over the last couple of days, I've been seeing some music for pets pop up in my Facebook feed about calming animals because the music has been created at different frequencies for specific relaxing vibrations. I was like, "I may have to check that out. See if that, that might work."

Now, what should we consider, Gail, as in adapting the kit as our pets age or develop various conditions? Is there anything we should begin thinking about differently as our pets' conditions change?

Gail Pope: Depends on the pet, doesn't it? There are so many different directions that things can change in. I think one of the things that we haven't mentioned so far would be a mix of syringes— having a couple of oral syringes for feeding that has different tips -. I think in particular the oral syringes in different sizes, because if you've just got a little medicine then a one CC syringe is perfect. You may only have 0.3ml and it's a small amount whereas if you've got more to give, I generally have 1, 3, 5 and 10 cc syringes on hand just in case. You just don't know what you might need them for, and t's always handy to have them.

Karen Wylie: Oh, that's great. I guess a pill popper would be a good option to have. I always prefer to pill with my finger, and my dog food will cushion or provide a lovely pillow for a pill. I find that works going right into the back of their mouths.

But a lot of people prefer to use a pill popper of some sort but that requires you to get used to each of them. They're so different. So that might be something you want to test out, make sure it's something you're comfortable with. Oh, we haven't mentioned a heating pad. So something that's a low heat heating pad. I've never had a cooling mat but I think that would be something that could be good too in case an animal was actually running a fever of some sort.

Gail Pope: I've never used one either. I guess the seasons and the weather would play a part. But again, it's all about whether you've got an immobile animal. If it's a cat, you can change their position. 

Oh, and that's something else— bedsores. If you've got an immobile animal, you really need to have products for wound care, just in case. Obviously you're going to turn them quite often if they can't move themselves. That diverted me from where I was going. It just popped into my mind and now I've forgotten where I was going.

Karen Wylie: That's because you are a fountain of information!

Gail Pope: Diapers, but again, if you've got incontinence pads, I think it depends on the animal. It may be really beneficial to have a diaper for an animal, a cat or a dog, that can't get up. So again it's your situation, your animal's choice of what is going to give them the most comfort. 

There are a lot of dogs that hate to mess their bed and they'll do anything to avoid that. I've had people say, "I think he's in pain and this is terrible and I don't know what to do."

And it turned out that the dog was holding himself for so long because he couldn't get up. Once they took him outside to potty, he relieved himself and the symptoms of pain vanished. He was just trying to tell them, "I need to go."

Karen Wylie: And that's us assuming that they can't go, that we can't get them outside, but we can get them outside with slings and using towels as you're describing. Let's see, there's also little grippy socks that they have for older dogs these days— little toe grips.

Gail Pope: I tried them.

Karen Wylie: You did? I can tell from your nonverbal that it wasn't...

Gail Pope: It wasn't that long ago. It was with Rosie before she died, and she was really tottering and hardly able to walk. I tried two or three different types and she just chewed them off. She didn't want them on her feet and she got really upset, so I gave up.

Karen Wylie: Oh God. They aren't exactly inexpensive too. 

I wanted to get back to what you were mentioning about the bedding because you’ve often talked about how important it is to layer everything. So that when you do need to get something out of there, you don't have to move the pet completely from the area to still make them comfortable and so they're not lying in their own waste.

Gail Pope: It makes sense because if you've got a large dog, for instance who can't get up and you've got maybe four or five layers, it depends— it's up to you and your laundry capability a lot! 

You've still got to turn that animal so they don't get wounds or bedsores. So if you roll them over, then you can pull out the wet piece then you've already got the new bed there and then you roll them back and you pull out the other side, so you can do it side by side without having to lift them right up. It's more comfortable that way. You can do that with cats too but generally they're easier to just manage because they're not that heavy.

Karen Wylie: And that way you're making life easier for yourself but also making it less stressful for your dog or the cats certainly. Okay, so we've done good. We've got the syringes of all different sizes. Pill Pockets are another thing that can be used in case you have medication that needs to be given.

Gail Pope: Yes. I'm using those every single day now. I couldn't be without them. Very often you find animals that won't take liquid medicine at any price. Ollie said the same thing, "There's no way I'm taking this. You're going to have to make it taste good."

Karen Wylie: Putting you to the test.

Gail Pope: Yes, very much we live and learn every day, don't we?

Karen Wylie: Yes. My go-to at the moment is Cheese Whiz or Easy Cheese or one of the little bottles that don't have to be refrigerated and you can just do a little squirt of cheese because my dogs love that. Okay, I'd mentioned the flashlight because then you can check gums and eye color and ear color and and their breathing when you're focusing on that.

I guess one thing - if you have a diagnosis of diabetes or heart issues for your pet then you'd want to be keeping your glucose strips on hand, making sure you have a very good supply of them. So have your backup supply. I have my very own stethoscope. I believe you do too. As soon as you ever have a heart condition with any of your pets, you want to make sure you have a stethoscope. It's important. It helps you feel more comfortable. I guess I'll say for the comfort kit, maybe the stethoscope is more for you. You do have to learn how to listen and what you're listening for.

Gail Pope: Exactly. I was going to say if somebody's not used to having one and using it then it's probably not even worth getting it because you're not probably not going to use it anyway.

Karen Wylie: But if you haven't ever had one, it's worth getting to see what you can learn about your animal's condition. Hydration tools for those who are able to do Sub-Q fluids at home, that'd be the kind of thing to have on hand too, because it's not really all about medical. A lot of what we're talking about is really being mindful of, again, what would be comfortable for you and provide comfort to your pet.

We're doing good on the list here. I said I was going to be crossing off as we go. Flower essences right here, the calming sprays, the soft comforting music. There we go. I had the example of my friend who traveled, recording her voice, right? So her pets could hear her voice.

Gail Pope: There are also several homeopathic remedies. I know I always go on about homeopathy but acute remedies for all sorts of common ailments as well as end of life issues would be recommended. Four or five of those important remedies, just again, kept in your comfort kit would be excellent to have. I wouldn't be without mine.

Karen Wylie: How would you recommend our listeners learn about those?

Gail Pope: In actual fact, Dr. Google can supply a perfect list. The BrightHaven website too!    Actually, I think we have a comfort care list, don't we?

Karen Wylie: You do, yes.

Gail Pope: It should be mentioned in there, I would've thought. Oh, I know what I'm thinking of. Yes, we do have a list of suitable homeopathic remedies. That's for end of life situations. But not for something like shock which would obviously be Aconite, or Arnica for bruising. Those are the kinds of remedies that I was really thinking about. Some of the more common remedies that you would use on an everyday basis, like Apis for a bee sting or something like that. Always good to have.

Karen Wylie: Always good to have. Maybe that's another podcast episode conversation for us to have. We'll dive more into that. I guess one of the last things I'd like us to think about is have we covered everything that the pet parent would need to have on hand for herself or himself?

Because having this kit ready isn't just for your animal, it's also for you to help you stay calm in a situation where you're worried.

Gail Pope: A small bottle of wine and a beer.

Karen Wylie: We know your go-to!!

Gail Pope: I don't know. I think the telephone numbers because I think we have to talk ourselves off a ledge if something happens suddenly. 

Or if it's happened slowly then if we have all these supplies on hand somewhere in the house, wherever we've chosen to keep them. If we are lying in bed thinking, "Oh, I wonder if he's still doing that tomorrow. I wonder what..?"

Then you think, "Oh my gosh, I know what I've got in the Comfort Care Kit."

It may be as simple as Manuka honey to make him feel better about that wound itching or something. I think just knowing that you have these kinds of products should you need them - is very helpful. 

Maybe something for nausea which can be part of all sorts of chronic things. I mean it's all about the individual. I think that if you've got a healthy animal who doesn't have any major illness going on, then you can identify some of these things for your comfort care kit for “just in case” situations.

Then if you have an animal with a history of an illness, then you're going to be adding in the syringes that you might need for them. But then as you progress towards the end of life, then you're starting to bring in different types of pain control and the things that you might need at the end of life.

Karen Wylie: I guess just to tag onto that, the important thing is to start where you are. With the pet you have and the health they have or the health concerns that they have,00 to guide you as to what you most need to be focusing on as you start assembling these things. But creating a comfort care kit is really one of the simplest ways to nurture your own peace of mind.

Gail Pope: Have we mentioned things like gauze and vet wrap? If a dog gets bitten or rubs up against a tree and gets injured, having vet wrap, which is this stretchy elastic type material, is a must. 

Karen Wylie: I guess having a basic, Chlorhexidine or Betadine or something that you could have to wash out a wound if needed and then gauze to protect it.

Gail Pope: Yes.

Karen Wylie: I guess as we bring this conversation to a close, I started saying it's important to start where you are but to just start. I guess to also start small and not try to do everything all at once. What would you suggest as a closing thought, Gail?

Gail Pope: Baby steps.

Karen Wylie: There we go!

Gail Pope: Exactly! You just basically said, "Just start where you are."

You may only have one animal, a cat, dog or a hamster and so just think about your own situation. Think about if something happened urgently, " Ooh, let me just, yes, I could do that. Let me write down some phone numbers."

Or it could be a situation where if I choose euthanasia, would I want someone to come to the house? So do a little research to find a vet that you would trust who may come to the house or maybe you're more comfortable to go to them. But just getting those things done, dusted, and for me, on the side of the fridge is perfect. Then I don't have to think about them anymore.

Karen Wylie: It's always easier to do research when you don't really need to do it at that moment. Doing that ahead of time makes life so much easier. So I guess I would say that you're going to take just one step after listening to today's conversation, as Gail is saying, write down your vet's contact information and the emergency rooms in the area or the mobile vet in the area so that you do have your options. 

Place it where you can see and find it easily, because that'll be your very first step for peace of mind. So as always, we thank you for being with us and hope that some of this information is helpful— not just in determining what to put in your comfort kit but to understand that it's as much for you as it is for your pet to establish that peace of mind.

So thank you for being with us and we'll look forward to seeing you next week. Bye-bye now.

Gail Pope: Goodbye. Thank you.